


the little brown cat.

by corpsefaking



Category: The Umbrella Academy (TV)
Genre: Cats, F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-21
Updated: 2020-09-21
Packaged: 2021-03-08 00:46:45
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,046
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26586835
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/corpsefaking/pseuds/corpsefaking
Summary: One day, a cat decides that she likes Ray.
Relationships: Raymond Chestnut/Allison Hargreeves
Comments: 7
Kudos: 24





	the little brown cat.

**Author's Note:**

> i don't really write things like this very often, but the idea of allison and raymond having a cat came into my mind and then refused to leave so here we are

**the little brown cat.**

About two months after Allison and Ray move into their new house, he comes home with a little brown cat at his heels.

The cat is clumsy and Allison finds it quite entertaining to watch Ray walk up to the door of their porch. He hesitates at the foot of the steps, then sets down his bag and reaches down to pick up the cat. He recoils with a surprised yelp and stares at the cat, clearly unsure of how to get it away from him.

Allison decides to step in then and opens the door.

“Having some trouble there?” she asks, unable to hold back a smile.

“Yeah, I - how do you get a cat off you?” he asks, holding his hand protectively against his chest.

“Just try walking into the house, Ray,” she tells him. “I’ll get the cat if it tries to follow you.” She steps to the side to let her husband into the house and he, looking only slightly abashed, picks up his bag and walks up the stairs to the house.

The cat follows until Allison sticks her foot out to stop it. It mewls, but it’s easy enough to gently push it out of the way of the closing door.

\---

When Allison opens the curtains the next morning, the cat is curled up at the foot of the stairs.

“What do cats like?” she asks and looks over to Ray, who is wrapping his tie around his neck.

“Hm?” he asks, still fiddling with the dark fabric, then he looks up and says, “What about cats? You thinking about getting one?”

Allison waves her hand, beckoning him over. Ray joins her at the window and she points. “That cat’s still here.” A pause. “I want to get it something to eat - it must be hungry.”

Ray hums, staring out at the cat and Allison starts walking towards the kitchen. The movement seems to catch his attention and kick start his brain as he turns around and says, “You do realize that feeding it will just make it stay longer, right?”

“I think I heard that milk is actually bad for cats,” Allison says as she enters the kitchen, ignoring her husband and opening a cabinet.

Ray follows her. “I think I heard that too.”

“Well, what do cats like?”

“Fish, I think. Salmon?  _ Oh _ , and apples!”

“Would I have to cook the salmon?” Allison asks as she opens the fridge, racking her eyes over the shelves of food, then shakes her head. “Nevermind, I don’t think we have any. I’ll just give it an apple. Ray, where’re the cutting boards?”

“Oh, I can get that,” he says and moves to one of the cabinets while Allison grabs an apple and starts washing it.

Ten minutes later, Allison and Ray are walking out of the house together, ready for work, and Allison sets the small plate of apple slices down on the ground in front of the cat.

\---

A week later, the cat is still there and Allison is still feeding it.

“Told you feeding her would make her stay,” Ray says one morning, as if he hadn’t invited the cat up onto the porch just the day before with some yarn he had bought specifically for her.

“And you seem very upset about that,” Allison tells him solemnly as he steps into his car.

“Oh, I love that cat,” he tells her. “She may have attacked me unjustly, but she’s very cute.”

Allison lets out a small laugh and smiles.

“You want a ride to Odessa’s?”

“No, it’s nice out, I think I’ll walk.”

“Alright, have a good day,” Ray says, reaching up to give Allison a brief kiss. “Love you.”

She smiles, returns the sentiment and watches Raymond drive off before heading off to the salon.

\---

Odessa is in the middle of telling Allison about her schedule for the day when she suddenly says, “There’s a critter following you.”

Allison looks down at her feet and notices the cat butting her head into her ankle.

“Oh, I - sorry. She’s that stray that’s been following Ray around.”

“Well, I suppose it’s your turn,” Odessa says, looking more amused than annoyed, which is what Allison would have expected. Not that Odessa is often annoyed with her, but, well, it’s a stray cat in her salon, irritation seems like it would be the mild response. “It can stay here as long as it’s not getting underfoot.”

“Really?”

“Of course, we’re not a restaurant or anything like that - no reason to kick the little thing out when we’ve already got hair all over our floors.”

The cat ends up not being much of a problem. In fact, everyone seems to love her and the customers are delighted to see her when they enter. Allison is almost worried that the cat won’t want to leave with her at the end of the day, with everyone showering her with little treats and attention, but that proves not to be a problem as she skitters across the floor and follows Allison right out of the building.

\---

Another week later, the cat is sleeping in the living room and Allison can’t really remember how she got there.

“We should name her,” Ray says. “If we’re keeping her, she should have a name. Can’t keep calling her ‘the cat.’ Do you have any ideas?” He looks up at Allison, looking reassuring and like he already knows what she’s going to say.

Allison almost says it, too. Almost says that they should name the cat Claire, but the name catches in her throat and she... just can’t do that. Naming a cat after her daughter? It’s almost like admitting that she’ll never see her again, like she’s dead or gone forever. But, even though Allison can’t imagine going back, can’t imagine getting to her, she can’t do this. Can’t let something else be  _ Claire _ . Claire is her daughter and isn’t going to be her little used-to-be-stray cat too.

So, instead, she says the name of someone else she loves, but someone she feels alright naming a cat after. 

Ray blinks, surprised, when she tells him, but recovers quickly and smiles at her, then down at the cat. “Grace,” he repeats. “Yeah, that sounds good.”


End file.
